“Speaking to the spirits again, Lexi?” Sean chuckled as he helped himself to a cup of coffee in the corner.
“Good morning,” Lexi said more loudly than normal, glaring at Vincent who chose that moment to emerged from his office for a fresher cup of coffee than the one Lexi had placed on his desk an hour earlier. “What can I do for you, Sean?”
“I wanted to make sure you two were playing nice and that Vincent wasn’t trying to pimp you out to potential clients again.”
Vincent choked on his coffee and cast an accusatory glance in Lexi’s direction.
“I didn’t say a word, thank you.” Lexi folded her arms across her chest and glared right back at him.
Sean clapped his hand on Vincent’s shoulder. “You really fu—, I mean, really screwed up this time, didn’t ya, Vince?”
“Did you want something, Sean?” Vincent asked through his clenched teeth.
“Nope, just saying good morning to the beautiful ladies of Hunter. You should try it sometime.” He grinned widely and waggled his eyebrows in Lexi’s direction. “Good morning, Lexi.”
Lexi rolled her eyes and went back to work. “Goodbye, Sean.”
“Oh, Vincent, I almost forgot. I talked to Lacey down in production, and they had a question on the Fredrik Khan ad.”
The two men launched into a lengthy discussion about budgets and operational overhead that Lexi tuned out while she continued returning phone calls and rearranging Vincent’s schedule to accommodate his new appointments. She was just about to leave and drop some papers off to Elizabeth when Leigh emerged from around the corner. When Lexi noticed what she was carrying, she almost grabbed her purse and headed straight for the elevator.
“Lexi, look at what you—” Leigh froze mid-sentence when she saw Vincent and Sean huddled in the corner, staring directly at her with great interest. “Um, here.” She ruefully held up an exquisite bouquet of flowers.
Purple hyacinths spilled from the vase, the deep colored blooms filling the area with their rich scent. Between the violet flowers, white daisies peeked out, brightening up the richness of the hyacinths. The greenery scattered through the vase added to the exotic beauty of huge the arrangement.
Leigh stood before Lexi, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, the vase clenched tightly in her hands. The women held their breath and waited for the yelling to begin, but no one spoke.
“What’s the big deal that Lexi got flowers?” Sean grabbed the vase from Leigh and plopped them onto the desk. “So, who are they from? Your boyfriend?”
These are beautiful, she thought to herself as she reached for the delicate blooms. Then she paused. If they’re from Reid, I’ ll kill him.
Lexi gave Sean a droll stare. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have no idea who they’re from.” She stole a quick look in Vincent’s direction as she held the tiny white envelop in her hand, her heart thundering in her chest as she prepared to open it.
“Purple hyacinth, interesting floral choice.” Vincent’s deep voice came from across the room and made her stomach do a little flip.
She slipped the card out of the envelope and read it.
Alexandra, A man of few words, I will let the flowers speak for themselves.
Her brow knit together as she read the words repeatedly, her lips moving as she tried to figure out what the note meant.
“Well?” Sean asked.
“I have no idea who they’re from.”
“What does the card say?” Leigh peeked over Lexi’s shoulder and read it quickly. Soon the same confused look fell across her face. “What the hell does that mean?”
Lexi shrugged. “No clue. Sean, is this your idea of a joke?” Sean slowly shook his head from side to side. She was intrigued by the flowers, the note, and the sender. But more than anything, she was relieved that they weren’t from David Reid. She glanced across the room to find Vincent leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest with an unreadable expression on his face. “What?”
It was his turn to shrug. “Nothing.” He pushed off the wall and strode across the room until he was right in front of the flowers. Everyone tensed as he reached out his large hand and softly stroked the fragile petals. As he headed back to his office he commented, “They look much more tasteful than those awful roses from Reid yesterday; that’s all.” Vincent glanced around at everyone still standing there, staring at the vase. “Am I the only one with work to do today?”
Leigh headed back to her desk, but Sean simply rolled his eyes when Vincent’s door closed. “I better go get something done before he gets his panties in a bunch. Oh, any chance you would be willing to help a guy get a date?”
“Sure, you want me to make you a profile on an on-line dating site?” Lexi held her fingers poised over the keyboard and smiled.
“Do it and die.” Sean grinned. “No, I want to go on a date with Hope.”
“So, what do you want me to do about that? Tie her to a chair?”
“Now that sounds like fun.” A devilish smirk washed over his chiseled features as Lexi glared at him. “Well, can you put in a good word for me?
Maybe tell me what I need to do to get back into her good graces or simply how to get her to answer the phone when I call?”
Lexi laughed. “She’s a stubborn woman. If she doesn’t want to answer the phone, she won’t, and I can’t make her.” Sean’s shoulders sagged in disappointment. “However, if I were you,” his head snapped up as he listened, “I’d suddenly have the urge to get something painted on the side of your new Ferrari. Doesn’t have to be big, but there’s no way she’d let anyone other than herself work on a Ferrari. The shop is known for its customer service, so she’d have to speak to you about your plans.”
Sean mulled it over in his head for a few seconds, and then grinned. “I know exactly what I’m going to have done to it.”
“Don’t blow this. Two strikes with Hope and you’re out. Forever.”
Sean gave her a little salute, then flashed his dimples and pulled his cell phone out as he walked down the hall. Lexi caught the very beginning of his conversation. “Hello, yes. I’d like to bring in my Ferrari and discuss a custom paint job. I hear that you’re the best. Yes, I would love to meet the owner. This afternoon? Sure.”
Lexi chuckled to herself as she made some minor changes to Vincent’s schedule for the rest of the week. “Good luck, Hope.” She pecked away at her keyboard and smiled. “You’re gonna need it, girlfriend.”